Door check



Nov. 12, 1957 H. w. FALK DOOR CHECK Filed Dec. 21, 1953 Hero/d Fallr v BY I- ATTORNEY United WSPWFPQ Products Inc., Washington County, Minn., a corporation Application December 21, 1953, Serial No. 399,544

16 Claims. (Cl. 16-66) This invention relates to door checks, and pertains more particularly to a door check of the surface variety.

Inasmuch as the instant invention deals with a door check or closer intended to be attached to one side of a swinging door, it is an aim of the invention to provide a closer of this type which will be compact, relatively inconspicuous and of pleasing appearance. In this connection, it is contemplated that the door check forming the subject matter of the instant invention will be generally cylindrical, of small diameter, and devoid of swinging arms that would detract from the overall appearance of the device. v

Another feature of the invention resides in an envisaged construction that lends itself readily to the use of aluminum tubing for the cylindrical barrel or housing, thereby avoiding the likelihood of rust forming from water that might condense or otherwise collect on or within the confines of the housing. In this regard, the constructions of the parts are such that the checking device will withstand the shocks and prolonged usage that are encountered with door closers of this kind, the instant device being simple, rugged and exceptionally long lasting without attention from its owner. a

A further feature of the invention lies in the use of concavo-convex discs on either side of a resilient O-ring, the direction in which the discs face influencing the sealing pressure exerted upon the inside wall of the tubular housing by the O-ring.

Another feature of the invention concerns the mode assembling the parts at the factory, such action being facilitated by means of a split ring and groove arrangement that retains the compression spring within the tubular housing. 7

Still another feature resides in the ease with which the door check can be mounted on and removed from the door and its frame. In this connection, the mounting bracket for one end of the checking device is so configured that this end will be securely locked in place by merely pivoting the tubular housing from one extreme angular position into its normal operating angular range. With the aforenoted end pivotally secured, the other end of the closer is retained in operating position by reason of a stepped orofi-set pin which is readily forced through the bracke't'and piston rod apertures, it being necessary to overcome to a partial extent the action of the closing spring in effecting ,the pins release when detachment or removal of the closer'from its mounting'is desired. v

.Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out more in detail hereinafter. a

-The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereafter set. forth and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the appended claims.

Patented Nov. 1 2, 1

. 2 Figure 2 is a sectional view taken in the general direc tiori of line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a second sectional view of Figure 1, this view being taken in the direction of line 3-3 at the opposite end of the device;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view with a portion of the tubular housing removed to expose a different arrangernent of the concavo-convex discs from that sectionally shown in Figure 2; 7

Figures 5 and 6 are perspective detail views of parts comprising the checking device; and

Figure 7 is an enlarged, fragmentary plan view of Figure 2, an open door position of the checking device being superimposed thereon in phantom outline.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, the door check has been designated in its entirety by the reference numetal 10 and is pictured in an installed condition in Figure 1 attached to a door 12 hinging to a frame member 14, both the door and frame being fragmentarily shown in section, by means hereinafter described. The device 10 includes a generally tubular housing or barrel 16 substantially closed at one end 18 except for an aperture 20. The opposite end 22 is open, and disposed axially from the extreme edge of this end is an inwardly facing circumferential groove 24 for a purpose presently to be explained.

Within the end 18 is an annular gasket 26. This gasket is maintained in a compressed state by reason of a back- .ing nut 28 having'a' tapped bore 30. A bushing 32is threadedly received in the bore 30 and by virtue of an integral head or collar 34 on the bushing the above ,alluded to state ofcompression is assured. For the purpose of bleeding air from within the cylindrical housing 16 in a controlled manner, a threaded bore or passage 36 extends axially through the bushing 32 and has adjustably retained thereina valve member 38 in the form of a machine screw equipped with a slotted head 40 for facile adjustment of the rate of air leakage. The threaded passageway 30 somewhat loosely engages the threads of the screw 38 to provide a restricted air outlet of increased and decreased capacity, dependent upon the number of turns of the threads of screw. 38 into the threaded passageway 30; That is, with the geratest number of turns there is a greater restriction of air flow between the threaded fitting, and with the lesser turns of the screw there is provided a less restricted air flow. Maintaining the threads of the screw 38 in frictional engagement with the threads of the passage 36 is a compression spring 42 interposed between the heads 34 and 40. In this manner, the member 38 will remain in whatever adjusted position it is rotated into, and the amount of air leakage will be governed by the degree of interengagement with the bushing 32. Y

A piston rod 44 is reciprocable within the housing '16. From Figure 2 it can be seen that the end of this rod nearest the bushing 32 is threaded and has screwed thereon anut 46, the nut serving as the left end means of retention for a pair of concavo-convex washers or apertured discs 48 and 50. The discs are separated from each other owing to the intermediacy of an annular spacer 52. Inasmuch as an O-ring 54 of rubber, neoprene or the like is contemplated between the discs 48 and 50, the spacer 52 should be of adequate thickness to prevent undue compression of the relatively soft material constituting the O-ring. Preferably, the spacer is of sufficient thickness so as to leave the O-ring loosely interposed between the discs 48 and 50. V

A concave surface of disc 48 engages the O-ring 54, while a convex surface of the disc 50 engages the O-ring. Movement of thepiston rod 44' to the right from the position shown in Figure 2 of the drawing causes the disc 48 to move the O-ring, and the concave surface 3 thereof tends to contract th ring by pulling the ring inwardly toward its axis. Movement of the piston rod 44 in the opposite direction causes the disc 50 to move the ring; and the convex surface of this disc tends to expand the diameter of the ring, the convexity actingas asortofwedge.

As will later be made manifestthe discs 48 and 50,10- gether with the O-ring 54, act as a piston, the Q-ring providing a sliding. seal with the housing 16. Biasing thepiston and the rod to the left as viewed in Figure 2 is a coil spring 56 which encircles the rod, abutting the concave side of the disc 50. A plug 58 in the form of a somewhat cylindrical shell retains the other end of the spring 56 within the tube 16. It is in this connection that-the previously referred to groove 24 plays an important role, "for the plug is belled or flanged outwardly at 60 to such an extent that the outer diameter of the flange 60 is substantially equal to the inner'diameter or bore of the .tubular housing 16. A-pair'of semi-circular rings 62 aredesigned to nest partially within the groove 24 and project radially inward into engagement with the flange 60. I Thus, it should be recognized that the cross-sectional radius of the r groove 24 should be equivalent to that of the rings 62, and the flange 60 should flare out an incremental distance also equal to the said radius. The plug 58 is necked in to provide an inwardly directed flange at 64 with anaperture 65 of suflicient diameter to accommodate the piston rod 44 without interference.

To insert the rings 62, all that need bedone is to compress theispring 56 by forcing the plug 58 inwardly thereagainst until the flange 64 has been moved longitudinall'y to the left (Figure 3) just past the groove 24. This is easily performed, inasmuch as the end 22 is still open once having moved the plug 58 far enough to the left, then the rings 62 may be laid in the groove 24, and release of pressure upon the plug 58 will permit it to be urged to the right by the action of the spring 56 until the flange 60 abuts these semi-circular rings, the rings arresting further travel and thereafter absorbing all reaction imposed upon the plug 58 owing to compressive forces to which the spring is subjected during thefunctiming of the entire device 10.

A cup 66, preferably of steel and especially so where the tube 16 is of aluminum as contemplated by the invention, fits snugly over the end 22 and prevents the tube from spreading in this region when subjected to heavy spring loads. The cap is apertured at 67 for free movement of therod 44 relative thereto.

Up -to'this pointnothing has been said concerning the specific manner by which the door check isaflixed to thedoor 12, and frame 14. To this end, a hinge mem ber 68 is employed. The hinge member 68 is equipped with a perpendicularly directed flange 70 apertured so as to embrace the bushing 32, the head 34 of the bushing retaining the member 68 in a fixed relation concomitantly with the supply of the earlier mentioned compressive action against the gasket 26. Approximately mid-way of the hinge member 68 his notched inwardly to form laterally extending ears or wings 72.

Secured to the door 12, as by screws 74, is a bracket 76. The bracket is generally channel-shaped toprovide a web 78 and side flanges 80 at right angles therewith. The web 78 contains apertures 82 for the accommodation of the screws 74, whereas each flange contains a substantially L-shaped slot 84 for the reception of the wings 72. In this way, the wings 72 function as 'pintles and the flanges 80 as journals therefor, as may be observed from the phantom outline of Figure 7. From Figurel it can be discerned that when the housing 16 is rotated through 90 from the position pictured, the wings 72 can be easily engaged or disengaged from the slots 84.

The L-shaped slots include an entrance "portion icorjrl munica'ting with the free edges 'of the side flanges "80 which are parallel to the web 78, and arr-angular ear I tion extending generally parallel to these free edges of the flanges. The forward walls of the entrance portions of the slots against which the wings 72 engage as the door is opened are preferably rounded forwardly so that the outer ends of these forward walls are at an acute angle to the free edges of the side flanges. The walls of the angular portions of the slots which are most remote from the free edges of the flanges are also centrally bowed toward the web 78. As the wings are inserted, the housing 16 is held substantially normal to the surface of the door 12, and the flanges enter the entrance portions of the slots until the edges thereof engage the bowed walls of the angular portions of the slots. The housing 16 is then swung forwardly, one side of each wing sliding rearwardly along the bowed wall of the angular slot portion and the opposite side of each wing sliding along the forwardly curved wall of the entrance portion of the corresponding ,slot. The slots are properly proportioned to permit the insertion of the wings in this manner; and the wings 72 are wider than the entrance portions of the slots, so that the housing 16 must be swung through substantially degrees for engagement with, or disengagement from, the bracket 76.

Passing now to the manner in which the other end of the door check is mounted, it will be noted that the piston rod 44 is provided with an aperture 86. By means of screws'88 a'bracket 90 is anchored to the door frame 14. The bracket 90 is channel-shaped and each flange 92 contains an aligned aperture 94, which when in registry with the aperture 86 permit insertion of a pin 96 therethrough. At one end of the pin 96 is an enlarged head 98 and theother'end of the pins shank is off-set slightly at 100, as may be seen in Figure 3. The major portion of the shank is perfectly straight and it is this portion that extends through the bracket 90 and the apertured piston rod 44. By reason of the elf-set 100, however, the pin resists disengagement to the extent that the action of the spring 56 must be partially overcome to effect its release. Thus, it will be appreciated that the pin 96 is retained in place in a simple fashion, only a unitary member securingconnection between the bracket 90 and rod 44. From the foregoing description the operation of the door check '10 is thought to be readily apparent. As the door 12 is opened, the door swings on an are greater than that which the device 10 swings. This action causes relative movement between the tubular housing 16 and the pistonrod 44, the spring 56 becoming compressed. During this period'the disc 48 drags the O-ring 54 within the housing 16, but since the concave side confronts the O-ring there is little or no tendency for the disc 48 to urge the ring against the inner wall of the housing, the inclination of this side of the disc being such as to cause contraction of the" O-ring'rather than enlargement thereof.

If the door 12 is completely opened, the spring 56 will be considerably compressed and this compression is subsequently usedto return the door to closed position. To avoid total compression of the spring 56 with a resultant shock or jar as the adjacent turns strike each other, it is desirable to employ a bufler spring 102, perhaps only a third of the natural length of the main spring 56 having a greater spring constant so that it comes into effective action to moderate or minimize the jarring that would otherwise occur. This last named spring need only loosely circumscribe the piston rod 44.

Because the spring 56 is compressed during the opening of the door, it is effective to later close the door when the door is released by the person supplying the opening force. It is then that the disc 50 functions to expand the O-ring '54 against the inner wall of the tube 16, the convexity thereof acting as a.sort of wedge. In other words, the return action, in so far as the O-ring is com cerned, is opposite in result from that transpiring during the opening part 'of the cycle. In many instances this action is most desirable, for air is thereby entrapped more positively, there beingless. leakage past the O-ring'seal,

and as the door is closed theonly,'or-easiest, avenue of ber 38.

A nicety of'the arrangement of the discs 48 and 50, as

pictured in Figure 2, is that the frictionof the O-ring 54 is lessened against the tube 16 during the opening of the door when no sealing is needed, and isincreased during closing when scaling is required. This of course contributes greatly to a longer life of the Q-ring 54 and is much to be desired. In some installations, depending largely on the weight of the door 12 and the constant of the spring 56, alesser sealing action can be tolerated with an even more prolonged O-ring life. To this end the disc 50 may be reversed so that its concavefa ce bears against the O-ring. Such a condition is "illustrated in Figure 4 and while the right hand disc there shown is structurally the same as that of Figure 2, it has been given the reference character 50a because of its reversal of facial direction. Also, the spacer 52 is thicker and it bears the character 52a for this reason. Of course, the spacer need not be a separate and distinct element, for it could, if desired, be integral with one of the discs 48 or 50 in either instance.

In accordance with the patent statutes, I have described the principles of construction and operation of my door check, and while I have endeavored to set forth the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that this is only illustrative thereof and that obvious changes may be made within the scope of the following claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. A door check including a housing, a piston rod telescopically and reciprocably received in said housing, a pair of concave-convex discs carried by the rod, a resilient O-ring seal interposed between said discs, and annular means spaced inwardly of said O-ring spacing said discs sufiiciently far apart in an axial direction to avoid compression of said O-ring seal.

2. A door check including a housing, a piston rod telescopically and reciprocably received in said housing, a pair of axially spaced members carried by the rod having opposed convex and concave surfaces, spacer means and an O-ring seal interposed between said surfaces, said spacer means being spaced inwardly from said O-ring seal.

3. A door check including a housing, a piston rod telescopically and reciprocably received in said housing, a pair of axially spaced members carried by the rod having opposed concave surfaces, and an O-ring seal interposed between said surfaces.

4. A door check including a cylindrical housing, the inner wall of which is provided with an inwardly facing annular groove near one end, a piston rod telescopically and reciprocably received in said housing, a coil spring encircling said piston rod and biasing said rod toward the other end of said housing, a plug engaged in said one end of the housing having a circular flange extending inwardly of said groove and an external diameter substantially coextensive with that of said inner wall, and a pair of substantially semi-circular rings partially received in said groove and engaging said flange to prevent ejectment of said plug by said spring, said plug also being provided with a cylindrical portion extending outwardly of said groove and having a diameter corresponding substantially to the inner diameter of said rings and terminating in an end portion seating one end of said spring.

5. The structure described in claim 4 in which the housing is of aluminum.

6. The structure described in claim 5 in which said one end of the housing has a steel cap circumscribed thereabout.

7. A door check including a housing, a piston rod telescopically and reciprocablyreceived infsaid housing, a hinge member secured to one end of said housing provided'with laterally and oppositely directed ears, and a channel-shaped bracket member cooperable with said hinge member comprising a pair of substantially parallel, spaced flanges each having an L-shaped slot for receiving one of said ears and a web, one'leg of each L-shaped slot extending approximately parallel to said web and the other leg of each slot extending approximately normal to said web.

8. The structure described in claim 7 in which theend of said piston rod adjacent the other end of saidhousing is provided with a transverse aperture, a second bracket member comprising a pair of substantially parallel, spaced flanges straddling the piston rod in the region of its aperture and having aligned apertures in said flanges registrablewith said piston rod aperture, and-a pin extending through said apertures equipped with a head at one end and oif-set at the other end to aid in retaining saidpin in engagement with said piston rod and said second bracket member.

9. A door check including a housing the inner wall of which is provided with an inwardly facing groove, a piston rod telescopically and reciprocably received in said housing, a coil spring encircling said piston rod, a spring retainer engaged in said one end of the housing having a diametrically extending flange, ring means received in said groove and engaging said flange to prevent ejectment of said retainer by said spring, a. pair of axially spaced concavo-convex discs carried by the rod, one of which discs engages said spring, and sealing means interposed between said discs and engaging the inner wall of the housing, and spacer means interposed between and engaging said discs to prevent undue compression of said sealing means.

10. A door check including a housing the inner wall of which is provided with an inwardly facing groove, a piston rod telescopically and reciprocably received in said housing, a coil spring encircling said piston rod, a spring retainer engaged in said one end of the housing having a diametrically extending flange, ring means received in said groove and engaging said flange to prevent ejectment of said retainer by said spring, a pair of axially spaced concave-convex discs carried by the rod, one of which discs engages said spring, spacer means interposed between and engaging said discs, sealing means interposed between said discs and engaging the inner wall of the housing, a hinge member secured to one end of said housing provided with laterally and. oppositely directed ears, a bracket member cooperable with said hinge member comprising a pair of substantially parallel, spaced flanges each having an L-shaped slot for receiving one of said ears, the end of the piston rod adjacent the other end of said housing being provided with an aperture, a second bracket member comprising a pair of substantially parallel, spaced flanges straddling the piston rod in the region of its aperture and having aligned apertures in said flanges registrable with said piston rod aperture, and a pin extending through said apertures equipped with a head at one end and off-set at the other end to aid in retaining said pin in engagement with said piston rod and said second bracket member.

11. A door check including a cylindrical housing having a circumferential groove disposed around the inner wall thereof near one end, a plug member received in said one end comprising a shell having a radially projecting flange at one end and an inturned flange at the other forming a central aperture, a pair of substantially semicircular rings nested in said groove and engaging said projecting flange to prevent outward movement of said plug, a piston rod telescopically and reciprocably received in said housing, said rod having one end projecting out-' wardly from said housing through said central aperture, a coil spring encircling said piston rod having one end abutting said inturned flange, a pair of concavo-convex aXially spaced discs e'ncirclingsaidrod, one of saiddiscs abutting other end of said'spring, aresilierit Curing interposed between said discs, and restricted passage means at the other end of said housing for bleeding air fromsaid housing at a controlled rate.

12. The structure described in claim 11 in which the convex sides of sa'iddiscs face toward said passage means.

13. The structure described in claim 11 in which the concave sides of said discs confront said O-ring.

14. The structure described in claim 11 including a steel cap snugly circumscribing said one end of the housing.

15. The structure described in claim 11 in which a hinge member equipped with laterally extending wings is secured to said other end of the housing, and a cooperable bracket equipped with parallel flanges, each flange having'an L-shapedslot for receiving one of said Wings.

16. The structure described in claim 11 in which the projecting end of said piston rod contains a transverse aperture, 5 cooperable bracket equipped with parallel flanges, eachflange-having an aligned aperture registrable with the pistonrod aperture, anda headed pin having an off-set end extending through said apertures.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 656,543 Harrison etal. Aug. 21, 1900 1,550,253 Hein Aug. 18, 1925 1,675,980 Lehherz July 3, 1928 1,963,687 Tappan June 19, 1934 2,060,847 Bowen Nov. 17, 1936 2,507,267 Patriquin May 9, 1950 2,646,589 Quinn July 28, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 19,136 Great Britain Oct. 11, 1895 81,344 Germany May 22, 1895 

